Posted on 04/30/2013 5:22:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin
An often ignored meteor shower may offer fine prospects for viewing this weekend.
The Eta Aquarid meteors provide a dependable display in early May. With a radiant very near a Y-shaped asterism in northern Aquarius, the Eta Aquarids are one of the very few major showers that provide a decent annual show for southern hemisphere residents.
This year, the peak of the Eta Aquarids as per the International Meteor Organization (IMO) comes on May 6th at 1:00 UT, or 9:00 PM EDT on May 5th. This favors European longitudes eastward on the morning of Monday, May 6th. The Eta Aquarid radiant rises just a few hours before dawn, providing optimal viewing in the same time frame.
Keep in mind, the shower is active from April 19th to May 28th. Predicting the arrival of the peak of a meteor shower can be an inexact science. North American observers may still see an early arrival of the Eta Aquarids on May 5th or even the morning of the 4th.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
It always seems to rain around here during these type of events. I think “Meteor Shower” is code for “Rain Dance” and AQUArid Meteor Shower means it is going to really rain hard this weekend.
Every time except ONCE meteor showers have been disappointing for me, and after freezing my butt off more times than I can remember since I was 11, the only one that was actually “good” was the Leonids of 1999-2001 (which year, I don’t remember).
I did see a good show during the Perseid one year—in August. Quite a few, even a green one.
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